Category: Restaurant Reviews/Recipes

Homemade Dutch Apple Pie

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Dutch Apple pie has always been a favorite in my family. Since Thanksgiving is a few weeks away, I wanted to try making a homemade Dutch Apple Pie before the holiday. I have included the recipe down below, so you can try making it for this upcoming Thanksgiving. I look forward to reading all your comments!

Ingredients: 

9 X 9 baking dish

Filling:

1 frozen Pillsbury pie crust

6 cups, about 8 apples (peeled and diced, you can use any type of apples such as Granny Smith or Macintosh, but I used Gala’s, Golden Delicious, and Snow Sweets.)

½ cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

3 tbsp of flour (I used a blend of almond and bread flour)

¾ tsp of ground cinnamon

¼ tsp of nutmeg

Topping: 

¾ cup of flour (I used a blend of almond and bread flour)

1/3 cup softened butter

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Peel and dice your apples.
  3. Put small slices in bottom crust and bake for about 10 minutes, (so it doesn’t get soggy on the bottom)
  4. Mix all of the dry filling ingredients & mix in the apples. (Make sure to coat the apples really well.
  5. Pour into prepared crust.

6. In another bowl, mix flour, sugars, and cinnamon for the topping of the pie. 

7. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the dry ingredients for the topping until it becomes a crumbly texture using a fork. 

8. Pour on top of the pie making sure to cover all of the apples.

9. Place on a foil lined baking sheet, before placing into oven for 50 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

10. When finished, remove from oven. Let cool before serving.

11. Enjoy!!

© 2019 Sundown Pointe

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Miller’s Ale House – Cool Springs (Franklin, TN)

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Miller’s Ale House is an American restaurant located in Cool Springs Galleria on 7087 Bakers Bridge Ave, Franklin, TN. It is also within 4 minutes of the Cool Springs Galleria mall. From both inside and out, it looks like they took over the building from what used to be a Logan’s Roadhouse. It has similar décor and style of Logan’s. However, the improvements have made it better than Logan’s. The atmosphere of the restaurant is comfortable and casual. It is definitely geared towards watching sports and games on the TV, and would be great for friends and groups getting together to watch football, basketball, golf, etc. The staff members were very personable and attentive, while taking good care of the customers. They have a wide selection of food and beverages to choose from, a full bar including beers, wine, signature cocktails, and soft drinks. When customers arrive, they will find seating in the dining room and bar area with the option of a booth or a table. 

Their open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 11 am to 12 am, and Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 2 am. The menu offerings are better than what Logan’s has become, and it makes me think of the old Logan’s menu from 5 or 6 years ago. The food is good, prices are reasonable, and I would definitely return there for another meal. 

Appetizers were the biggest hit at our table with southwest chicken eggrolls and pot stickers being the tastiest and a favorite. The steaks were good, but can be compared in quality to Texas Roadhouse or Logan’s.

The southwest chicken eggrolls are served with sweet corn, roasted red peppers, black beans, jalapeños, Monterey jack, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, white queso, and garlic-lime crema.

Next, the pot stickers were served with pork dumplings, shredded cabbage, scallions, and sweet Thai chili sauce. Customers have the option of having the pot stickers pan fried or steamed. I chose to have them pan fried, which were amazing! 

For dinner, I had the flat iron steak with boom boom shrimp. This includes a 7-ounce flat iron steak with 10 boom boom shrimp, and two sides, which I chose mashed potatoes with gravy and a Caesar salad. 

Finally, the best part of the meal was ordering dessert. They had a few delicious options to choose from, but my table decided to go with the Capt. Jack’s Buried Treasure. This dessert was definitely shareable for 3 or 4 people, which everyone at the table thought was great. It is a triple layered vanilla ice cream cake, Oreo cookie crust, Heath Bar crunch crumble, caramel and hot fudge sauce.

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who’s looking for a great place to eat in the Cool Springs Galleria in Franklin, TN. If you are interested in checking out Miller’s Ale House, click here: https://millersalehouse.com/locations/franklin-cool-springs/?utm_source=googlemybusinesslisting&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=franklin

© 2019 Sundown Pointe

Char Steak Lounge (Cookeville, TN)

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Char Steak Lounge is an American restaurant located on 14 South Washington Ave in Cookeville, TN. The atmosphere of the restaurant is rustic and very comfortable.The staff is also very personable and attentive, taking good care of their customers. They have a wide selection of food and beverages with a full bar including local craft beers, wine, mixed drinks, and soft drinks. The entrance has a beautiful stone bench with a waterfall cascading down the etched glass with the Char logo, which has colored lights that are constantly changing. 

Customers have the option to be seated in the dining room at a booth or a table, or in the bar area. The booths are quite tight, so I like to sit at a table. Their seating is flexible and can easily accommodate large parties by putting tables together.

The food is all homemade, reasonably priced, and very delicious. They are open for lunch Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm, and dinner Sunday through Thursday from 4 pm to 9 pm, and 4 pm to 10 pm on Friday and Saturday. Brunch is served on Sunday’s from 10:30 am to 2 pm. Drink specials are every night from 9:00 pm to close, and Happy hour is from 2-6 pm which include $5 appetizers, $2 draft beers, and $4 wine. They offer live music after 9 pm during most evenings. 

They are well known for their steaks such as Prime Rib and Filet Mignon. We also had the Grannie’s Meatloaf and Rattlesnake Pasta.

The Prime Rib is dry rubbed and slow cooked to medium rare. It is served  daily starting at 4 pm with an option of with au jus, raw horseradish, or a creamy Dijon horseradish sauce. Customers have the option of choosing a size between the 9 oz, 12 oz, or 16 oz. It is also one of those meals that go fairly quickly, so it’s best to order it while they have it in the restaurant. 

The Filet Mignon is an 8 oz juicy steak served with a choice of two sides.

 The Rattlesnake Pasta is fettuccini noodles tossed in a spicy Caribbean alfredo sauce with broccoli and mushrooms.

Next, the Grannie’s Meatloaf, is a special served every Friday during lunch. You also have the option of one side, two sides, or three sides. I had the Caesar salad and mashed potatoes and gravy as my side, which were very good.

Finally, for dessert we ordered the New York style cheesecake, double chocolate cheesecake, and the brownie sundae. The desserts were all very delicious. My favorite was the brownie sundae. When ordering the brownie sundae, customers have the option of adding nuts on top, which I didn’t do since I’m not a big on nuts on desserts.

 If you are interested in checking out Char Steak Lounge, click here: http://chsteaklounge.com

© 2019 Sundown Pointe

Meatloaf Meatballs

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Meatloaf and meatballs have always been a favorite in my family. It’s Super Bowl Sunday and I want easy finger foods, as well as a meal for later in the week. I decided to make a large batch of meatloaf, and turn the rest of the meatloaf mixture into meatballs.You can also make an extra-large batch of meatballs for a huge gathering. This recipe is super easy, and is also great for parties, gatherings, and sports events such as the Super Bowl. It is a very versatile recipe. You can do many different things, such as meatball subs, meatball sliders, lasagna, meatloaf, wedding soup, and pasta with meatballs. I look forward to reading all your comments!


Things you need:

Mixing bowl

Frying pan

Baking sheet

8×8 pan or a loaf pan

Aluminum foil


Crock pot

4-5 pounds of hamburger

2 portabella mushrooms chopped (You can also use any type of mushrooms.)

2 eggs

8 oz Thai chili sauce

¼ cup of bread crumbs

½ cup old fashioned oats

2 cloves of garlic chopped

2 green onions chopped

1 colored pepper chopped

1/8 cup of Banana peppers chopped

Dash of banana pepper juice

Italian seasoning (optional)

2 jars of chili sauce

1 jar of currant jelly (melted)

Instructions:

  1. Using your mixing bowl, add in hamburger, mushrooms, eggs, Thai chili sauce, bread crumbs, old fashioned oats, banana peppers, and banana pepper juice.
  2. Next, take your frying pan and add the chopped garlic, green onion, and colored pepper and sauté them.
  3. Add into meat mixture, and mix well.
  4. Split the mixture in half.
  5. If you want to make meatloaf out of half the mixture, add half of it to 8×8  or loaf pan. Put in refrigerator or freeze for later in the week Bake at 375* for one hour. 
  6. With the other half, roll into balls and place on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
  7. Bake meatballs for 20 minutes at 350*.
  8. Next, take your crock pot, and dump chili sauce and stir in melted currant jelly.
  9. Place meatballs in crock pot and let cook throughout the day.  

Happy Super Bowl!🏈

© 2019 Sundown Pointe

Mint Chip Pie

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Mint ice cream, has always been a favorite of mine. For Christmas this year, since Mint is such a popular flavor during the holiday, I decided to try making a Mint chip pie. This is my first time making this type of pie, and I’m really happy with how it turned out since it was my first try. This recipe is super easy to make and only requires a few ingredients. It is great for holiday parties. Also, hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I look forward to reading all your comments!

Things you’ll need:

6 oz Graham cracker crust (You can also use an Oreo crust)

24 oz Mint ice cream

Whipped Cream (You can also use cool whip, but it gets soft very fast.)

Green or Red Food Coloring (Optional)

Instructions:

  1. Take your Mint ice cream, and spread into the Graham cracker crust.
  2. Place in freezer for 20 minutes or until firm.
  3. Using your food coloring, place two drops and swirl into pie. (I used green on this pie.)
  4. Decorate with whipped cream or cool whip
  5. Place back in freezer, until ready to serve.
  6. Enjoy!!!

© 2018 Sundown Pointe